Cherry-throated tanager

Nemosia rourei

Photo by Andre Luca (Arkive)

Common name:

cherry-throated tanager (en); saíra-apunhalada (pt); tangara rougegorge (fr); frutero de garganta cereza (es); rubinkehltangare (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Thraupidae

Range:

This species is endemic to Brazil and is currently only found the south-eastern state of Espírito Santo, at Fazenda Pindobas and Mata do Caetés.

Size:

These birds are 12,5-14 cm long and weigh 22 g.

Habitat:

It occurs primarily in the canopy of humid montane forest at elevations of 850-1.250 m.

Diet:

The cherry-throated tanager mostly eats small invertebrates such as caterpillars, butterflies, ants and other arthropods.

Breeding:

Although not much information is available, this species seems to breed in October-January. Similar species have a clutch size of 3-5 eggs and the females incubate the eggs alone for 10-13 days. In similar species the chicks fledge 8-11 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status – CR (Critically Endangered)

This species has an extremely restricted breeding range and the global population size is estimated at just 50-250 individuals. This species was first recorded in the 1870s, but was rarely recorded until the 1990s. Currently the population is suspected to be declining at a rate of 10-19% over ten years, as a result of ongoing forest clearance owing to conversion to coffee plantations, mining activities and subsistence usage.